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CONCERT REVIEW: Lorde’s Melodrama World Tour

It’s an odd occurrence when major artists play smaller venues, and although the Brighton centre isn’t exactly minuscule, its 4500 capacity is not exactly large for a talent as big as Lorde. However, it is where she thrives. “I can see every one of your faces”, she exclaims with an adoring smile at the crowd as they beam a similar look of affection back at her. It is her joy and obvious passion for performing that sets the venue on fire and elevates her relatively small production to a thundering, unmissable event.

The show is intimate yet larger than life, mainly thanks to its headliner. The two hours in which Lorde flails and dances in a way only she can are magical and pitch perfect, from her anthemic hits like ‘Royals’, to the more demure numbers such as the heart-breaking ‘Liability’. All the way through she remains true to every preconception she has created as an artist – the show drips in melodrama, from her vocals to the hand drawn light displays even down to the three act structure that the show follows. However, this melodrama never overwhelms, instead adding to the feeling of authenticity that radiates from the 20-year-old.

However, Lorde is not the shows only star, with her supporting act, Khalid, busting out an impressive and sleek show that makes the fact that 2017 is really his breakout year even more surprising. He owns the stage with high kicks and energetic jumps as he makes his way through the set. He is a perfect lead in for the main act, both with incredible lyrics capturing life in a way only some can. However, his naivety and pure spontaneous set only underlines the brilliance and professionalism of Lorde’s set.

Ultimately, the melodrama tour is an immaculately constructed and pitch perfect show that elevates the melodrama of the record it supports to new incomparable heights. The shows has a weird, offbeat vibe, with a xylophone intro to ‘Buzzcut Season’ and a random but fabulous cover of Phil Collin’s ‘In The Air Tonight’. That off-kilter atmosphere truly hinges on the performance of its curator – and my god, does she deliver.